“I spent a lot of my life trying to be someone else,” Patti H, 28, told me.

Patti and I were classmates years ago, but we lost touch until 2023, when I came across her coming-out post on social media as a transgender woman. Moved by her story, I reached out to congratulate her and offered to document this time in her life, which Patti accepted.

When I asked what she wanted these photographs to reflect, Patti requested for the photographs to be of gender affirming moments, as she felt this would not only be safe and non-triggering to her, but moreover that it could be cathartic to her in her first prominent experience of being photographed as a transgender woman.

Weeks later, I shared select images with Patti and she expressed that her first significant experience in front of the lens as a trans-woman was one where she felt safe, visible, and seen. She explained that the images and our time together was what I had said it would be — there were no surprises.

While some emotional and physical aspects of Patti’s gender transition are complete, there is more left. With a smile on her face, Patti dreams, “I have a lot of plans for the future.”

Note: Upon request, some details are withheld to protect Patti’s safety and identity.